Lemon Cake

Ten Years and Ten Months Ago

"Are you good over there?" Jasper inquired, taking a longer than normal glance at her for someone driving. Granted, his hand was firmly hooked on the bottom of the steering as they forged ahead on the straightaway.

He used the handful of seconds wisely, running his cognac eyes over her frigid form on the other side of the truck. The carefree energy emitted during the concert that made him high was now void and the bright smile she beamed that infected him with joy was no more. It was like she became another person once he exited from the interstate. The streetlights became scarce and so did her words. She'd become mute which was a problem for him since he was growing enraptured with the melodious cadence of her voice that comforted him like warm hot chocolate on cold day in front of the fireplace.

His eyes went to her hands tightly clinging to the seatbelt holding her securely in place, "Am I driving too fast?" He eased off the gas. The speedometer slowly descended from seventy to flutter over sixty-five.

"It's not the speed." She quipped, keeping her sight ahead as the headlights chased away the darkness that veiled the two-lane country road.

"Then what is it?"

She shook her head faintly to herself as the corner of her mouth lifted a centimeter, "It's silly."

"Silly or not. I want to know." He relaxed even more in his seat, stealing another glance. "I'm interested."

This time it was her turn to coast her eyes over to him but her vision lingered too long on the planes of his face and his eyes matched hers. She quickly averted her eyes missing the coy smile he flashed.

"I have this aversion with being on the road at night." She shivered but it wasn't from the cool air flowing from the vents. She was nineteen and still haunted by the accident that cut her parents' lives short. "

"That's understandable," He nodded his head as if her words awakened a beat in his mind. "The darkness of night holds a mystic that can conjure many things."

She looked at him with a smirk, "Are you a philosophy major, or something."

"Nah," He chuckled. "Agriculture. But I did take a class." He sighed, the humor faded from his handsome face. "I was one of those night terror kids. Had full-blown episodes that scared the hell out of mom. She even took me to a therapist."

"What!!" Tulip's jaw dropped.

"Oh, don't give me that look." He shook his head. "I know therapy isn't a Black thing. We just 'put a little Jesus on it'."

"No," Her hand automatically went to his forearm that rested on his thigh. "I had one too."

"For real." A smile crept up his face as he glimpsed at her to see her nodding. "I guess we have more in common than music, huh."

"I guess." She sat back against the leather seat with a goofy smile pulling her hand back. The happiness drained from her when she remembered why she needed a therapist. "My parents died in a car wreck and I was afraid to even get in a car."

She didn't know why she was being this candid with someone that was still a stranger compared to the amount of time they actually knew each other. She hadn't even told Brianna that she spent time talking to a shrink but here she was sharing childhood events with him. What else was she going to share with him? At this moment Tulip wasn't quite sure but if he kept looking at her with those hypnotic eyes and grinning with those delectable supple lips the options were limitless.

"I'm sorry." He put both his hands on the steering wheel sitting up straight. "That sucks. Life can be an asshole sometimes."

"Completely agree." Her hands went back to the seat belt draped across her chest. "Did you find out why you had night terrors?"

"Oh, I knew why I had the terrors. Some guy thought it would be a good idea to steal a car at the gas station but didn't know there was a kid in the back. I was asleep." He shrugged that it was no big deal. "Shocked the hell out of him when I woke up."

"What happened?"

"He ditched the car after I wouldn't stop screaming." He demurely laughed. "Don't know how my mama found me. I was five. Just remember some cop handing me over to her."

"I'd have night terrors, too if I went through that."

"Yeah," He nodded, easing his foot down on the gas pedal with the first streetlight in miles making its debut. "Feel better now?"

Tulip took in a deep breath. "Incredibly better."

"Good." He said as the car came to a complete stop at the red light. "Because if not, you can hold my hand." He held out his appendage.

She smirked at his hand, "What would your girlfriend say about that?"

"Like I said she's not my girlfriend." His hand went back to the steering wheel once the light flashed green and he fed the engine some gas.

"Well, I don't hold hands of dudes that have non-girlfriends that they kiss and other things."

"Cool." He flicked on the turn signal as they approached the next intersection. "I'll be sure I'm not the type of guy the next time you see me."

"Next time?"

"Yeah, next time."

Tulip nodded, "Cool." She shifted her head to the side, peering out her window biting on her bottom lip trying hard to stop the smile from spreading across her face.

What do you think it means that Jasper started holding the steering wheel with two hands after Tulip told him about her parents' car accident?

Do you think Tulip was right for not holding his hand even though he says he doesn't have a girlfriend?

What do you think Jasper means when he says "he'll be sure he's 'not that type of guy the next time"?